


Once Upon A December

by olivejuice28



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Established Relationship, F/M, Memory Loss, Song fic, and a little sad, short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:42:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olivejuice28/pseuds/olivejuice28
Summary: Based off the haunting song from the movie "Anastasia," Hermione has suffered severe memory loss, but Draco refuses to give up on the woman he loves.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 15
Kudos: 62





	Once Upon A December

“Hello, Hermione,” he greeted her with a quiet, measured tone so as not to startle her.

Wide brown eyes rested on him while a sweet, vacant smile bloomed across her pretty face.

“Hermione… That’s my name.” It was said as a statement, but there was still the tiniest hint of a question behind it and he nodded at once to reassure her.

“Yes, that’s your name, love.”

She sighed contentedly and glanced about the room which was decorated beautifully for Christmas, complete with a sparkling tree in one corner, garland over the window, and rows of holiday cards tacked up on the wall.

“I love Christmas. It’s my favorite time,” she explained happily, gesturing to the red and green, gold and silver, that graced almost every surface.

“I know,” he smiled at her, “That’s why I brought you a present.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed as he held out a gift wrapped in shiny red paper and topped with a glittery green ribbon. “You didn’t have to, but thank you so much!” Her excitement was palpable as she carefully tugged the bow off and began pulling the edge of the wrapping up. Eventually, a leather-bound book was revealed and she ran her hand over the engraved surface with something akin to reverence. “This is lovely,” she peered up at him, “I adore books.”

“I know,” he said again, forcing his smile to remain in place even as his breath hitched, “I thought you could add it to your collection.” He cocked his head to the tall bookshelf on the far wall, already full of volumes just as valuable as the one in her hands.

She laughed lightly and his heart clenched, “You know, I don’t even know where I got all of those. I’ll have to start reading through them soon. But I’ll start with this one first thing tomorrow.”

“I hope you enjoy it,” he whispered, blinking furiously to clear his suddenly-blurry vision.

“Would you… would you read some of it to me now?” she asked hopefully, and though this had become a new request in recent days, it caused warmth to swell up in him when she asked.

“I’d like nothing more,” he assured her and they settled more comfortably on her bed, his arm around her, her head resting on his chest. He couldn’t resist pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her curls as he took a deep breath before starting the story.

They stayed like that for several hours, him reading in a lulling, even cadence, only broken by her occasional questions or remarks about the contents of the work. When he came to the end of the next chapter, he heard the chime that signaled his time was up.

“I need to go,” he said apologetically, “But I’ll be back tomorrow, if that’s alright.”

“Oh, yes,” she agreed eagerly, “It’s been so nice to have you here… but what is your name?” Her brow furrowed as she considered the fact that she didn’t know the answer.

“Draco. My name is Draco,” his heart was pounding as she studied him intently.

“Draco,” she repeated, her eyes raking over his features. “You know, you remind me of someone I think I used to know.”

“Do I?” he couldn’t hide the longing in his voice.

She nodded firmly, “Yes, you remind me of a boy. He brought me presents at Christmas, too.” She paused, a faraway look on her face, “I think I danced with him once.”

A choked sound escaped as Draco watched her sink back into her memories. She didn’t say anything else as she nestled down in her bed and he did what he could to make sure she was comfortable, smoothing out the blanket and snuffing out the sconces so only the tree was lit. Kissing her softly on her forehead, he turned and strode from the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Once in the hall, he let the tears he’d held back all evening course down his cheeks as he leaned against the wall. His heart felt torn in two, warring between despair and hope, one as dangerous as the other to succumb to fully.

“Mister Malfoy?” a kind voice broke through his torment and he turned his head to see the healer standing nearby. “How was your wife for you today?”

“She… she said I reminded her of a boy…” he couldn’t finish the thought but the healer seemed to understand and smiled encouragingly.

“That’s good, any progress is good, yes?”

He nodded mutely, pressing his trembling lips in a firm line.

“We will not give up, and neither should you,” she offered quietly, “It’s only been six months, and she’s much improved since the day she arrived. Surely you can see that?”

He nodded again, still not trusting himself to speak and she patted his arm before walking off down the hall.

All he wanted was to have her back – his brilliant, vivacious, sassy witch. Yes, progress was being made. At a painfully slow rate, but being made nonetheless, and if he needed to continue to celebrate Christmas with her every day for the next six months, or even the next six years, he’d do it.

He would do anything for her.

_“Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember. Things my heart used to know. Things it yearns to remember. And a song someone sings, once upon a December._

_Someone holds me safe and warm. Horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully across my memory.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Don't know where this one came from, and I'm ugly crying as I'm typing, but there it is. I've read quite a few memory loss stories, and never really considered writing one, but then the song popped into my head, and this evolved. I hope you enjoy it - there's definitely and open, hopeful ending! <3


End file.
